The Once

https://www.theonce.ca/

Newfoundland has a storied history of stunning songwriters, poets, and players. Over the course of the last decade The Once have writ and knit themselves into that story.

This modern indie folk trio from Newfoundland, The Once, have collected a trio of Canadian Folk Music Awards, numerous ECMA awards, and was named Artist of the Year by the Newfoundland & Labrador Arts Council. They have earned not one, but two JUNO nominations for Roots Album of the Year and continue to take their music around the world.

The trio features Geraldine Hollett on lead vocals and vocalist-instrumentalists Phil Churchill and Andrew Dale playing a variety of instruments. The Once are perform a mix of original and traditional songs and are noted for their beautiful three-part harmonies, which are sometimes performed acapella.

The Once’s name comes from an old Newfoundland expression which means “as soon as possible”, “right away”, “directly” or “in a short while”.

On their brand new album Time Enough, The Once offer some of the most vulnerable and honest material of their career. The up-tempo album opener, “I Can’t Live Without You,” reflects on women battling with self-image issues and offers wisened words to be the positive change in their own lives. The gritty guitar driven “Before The Fall” succumbs to the notion that we must accept our past and use those memories to grow. Riff rocker “Any Other Way” reflects the fact that true love accepts us at our worst but insists we do the work to be our best selves to keep it together.

On this, their fourth studio album, the band stays true to the root strength of their harmony driven sound, while extending the borders into fresh yet familiar territory. They craft a sonically understated, but emotionally fulsome sound that accomplishes what they’ve always done so well: stun listeners with what Amelia Curran calls “perfect vocal harmonies, thick enough to stand on.”